CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—Much has been made of North Carolina’s improved play since coach Roy Williams decided to shift to a smaller starting lineup, and rightly so.

With their 76-65 win Saturday afternoon against rival N.C. State, the Tar Heels are now 3-1 with wing P.J. Hairston starting instead of a more traditional power forward (usually Desmond Hubert, with Joel James and Brice Johnson each getting a couple starts). They have been a more aggressive, attacking, difficult-to-match-up-with team, one that looks—for maybe the first time all season—capable of making a run in the NCAA Tournament instead of like a team praying just to make the big dance.

The biggest improvement evident Saturday, though, was from North Carolina’s smallest starter. Freshman point guard Marcus Paige, who is listed at 6-0½, has started every game of his North Carolina career but is not the same player he was in November.

He’s not even the same player he was the first time he faced N.C. State on Jan. 26. In Raleigh, he wasn’t very good. He looked like a liability in the Wolfpack’s 91-83 victory. The biggest problem was his defensive inadequacy when matched against N.C. State’s Lorenzo Brown. Brown did whatever he wanted, with little resistance from Paige. He was dominant as his Wolfpack built a 19-point halftime lead, and he finished with 20 points and 11 assists.

“He got the best of me, big-time, in that matchup,” Paige said Saturday. “I just wanted to come out tonight and try to contain him as best I can and be aggressive. I couldn’t let him have a big night like he did last time, because he makes their whole offense go.”

In the first half Saturday, Brown had just four points, three assists and a pair of turnovers. He still finished with 12 points and 12 assists—he probably is the best point guard in the ACC—but Paige kept him out of the lane, and Brown didn’t control this game like he did the first time around.

In that first game, Paige was 2-for-11 from the field (1-for-5 from 3-point range) and had nearly as many turnovers (three) as assists (four). Saturday, Paige had 14 points, eight assists and zero turnovers. With that performance, it’s not a coincidence UNC won the rematch.

“I didn’t say one word to him about, ‘We need you to play better than you did the first game,’ ” Williams said. “I didn’t say anything like that at all. He’s just a tough little nut, and I think he’s going to be a big-time player for us.”

Paige certainly was thrust into a big-time spot as a freshman, having to replace departed point guard Kendall Marshall, a fan favorite who turned pro and was a first-round pick in the NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns. Obviously, nobody expected Paige to immediately replace Marshall’s production, but at the same time North Carolina’s offensive struggles easily could be traced to the point guard.

“That was a big spot to step in, a big spot to fill, when Kendall left,” said Hairston, who had 12 points Saturday. “He came into that role, and now he’s playing like a senior. I’m proud of him.”

There have been moments this season where Paige looked capable of being the point guard the Tar Heels so desperately needed, but they were often fleeting. He had a dozen points in a home win against UNLV but committed 10 turnovers in his first three ACC games. He made four 3-pointers against Virginia Tech but just one in the next three games combined. All along, though, his teammates believed in Paige.

“You guys don’t get to see him practice all the time and stuff like that,” UNC senior Dexter Strickland said. “He knocks down those big shots all the time in practice, and for him to do it during a game is real big for us.”

In the last 13 minutes of the game Saturday—from the moment N.C. State took a 43-42 lead—Paige went 4-of-6 from the field, including a pair of big 3-pointers. The other two buckets happened when the 157-pound Paige attacked the basket and scored.

“You have to be able to step up and make big shots in times like that,” Paige said. “If defenses are going to leave you open, they’re basically challenging you to make a shot like that. To step up and knock it down for my teammates was really big for me.” He also went 4-of-5 from the free-throw line in the second half. These were not things that happened the first time the Tar Heels played the Wolfpack.

“He was able to create shots for other people as well as getting his own shots,” UNC senior Leslie McDonald said. “I don’t think N.C. State was really looking for Marcus to create his own shots and get to the basket and make free throws, but he did a wonderful job.”

If Paige keeps playing like he did Saturday, Tar Heels fans have plenty of reasons to look forward to March, instead of dreading Selection Sunday. That might be the biggest change of all.